The road to recovery is nearing completion for Reece James and he will be expected to be fit for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool this weekend. The question is not whether or not he starts if he is able to prove his fitness. It’s if Chelsea abandon their 4-2-2-2 set up and revert back to the traditional 3-4-3 to accommodate his return.
The new setup has worked a treat for Thomas Tuchel’s attack so far, especially Hakim Ziyech. Where the 3-4-3 had its limitations for the attackers, it could be beneficial to completely abandon the regime and stick to what is working and bringing the best out of the Moroccan creator currently.
It could also unlock a certain £97m striker who probably needs a creative outlet from out wide like James in the setup.
Antonio Rudiger can handle himself in a back four. The fear of sticking to a back four is no longer an issue due to the defensive limitations that have been clearly eradicated on Tuchel's watch. Rudiger and whichever central defender he partners have proven to be reliable in whichever formation, though some tweaks would need to be made to consistently keep out opposition forwards.
With Ben Chilwell and James yet to return, the 4-2-2-2 could be a suitable formation to allow Chelsea’s attack to flourish in full force. Having four attackers is, to my mind at least, always better than three. Chelsea’s output has been suffering. Despite scoring 19 goals in 11 matches, the Blues' attacks have lacked the same thrust in the final third compared to when they had their wing-backs, whose consistent excellent delivery from wide positions caused all sorts of problems for defenders.
There is currently no expected return date for Chilwell but James is nearing his comeback and given his availability, I would be disappointed to see Chelsea revert to a back-three system, especially considering that the Blues will need to outscore the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota. That trio did not relish facing Inter Milan's defensive trio in the Champions League last week but it is essentially one vs one at the back, especially if James (or Azpilicueta if he fails to make the starting XI) and Alonso are caught upfield.
Beyond the Carabao Cup final, I’d expect Tuchel to try and get James and Lukaku on the field together more often to try and develop more of a partnership. The pair have only started five matches together, three of which Lukaku has been on the scoresheet. James' return is not the sole answer to Lukaku's current problems but the idea of a wide player crossing the ball in for him to attack is surely one that would appeal to the Belgian. And given the way Tuchel uses his 'inverted' full-backs, offering overlapping runs beyond the likes of Mason Mount and Ziyech could unlock a new dimension for this team within this formation.
James and Ziyech have the potential to be a particularly potent duo on that right side and that may free up space for other players to exploit. Mount will occupy one of the other no.10 positions and allow Kai Havertz and Lukaku to work closer together in the forward areas.
Not only does a front two eliminate the fallacy of Lukaku being isolated up front but it also gives Havertz a chance to get back to scoring ways with someone to play off and similar creative presences around him in Mount and Ziyech, who can move in off the wing with James overlapping.
Unfortunately, the 3-4-3 system is not sustainable without two fully fit wing-backs on either side. It just does not work. It restricts the attack and only benefits the defence. We’ve seen Chelsea’s defenders having to bail the team out on a number of occasions this season through set-pieces or individual brilliance but it is about time the attackers are given a system that suits them too.
And James has a key role to play in that. His return cannot come soon enough.
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